Its been interesting in the last few years to see Mérida, Yucatán slowly ¨discovered¨and ¨put on the map¨, with an influx of residents from other parts of Mexico, a growing snow bird community and a slew of (often very silly) articles appearing in sources such as the New York Times. Sometimes all the attention makes us wonder if Mérida will grow beyond recognition- and then nature reminds us that the heat here is not for the faint of heart! (106ºF (44C) in March- really?). One of the most unique architectural assets of Mérida are the beautiful mansions along the Paseo de Montejo. Dating from Méridá´s Henquen heyday, only a few of these remain today as family residences. Lauren and I were fortunate to be able to photograph this very lovely and happy couple at home on their wedding day in one of the most spectacular. Gaby brought a designer´s eye to her lovely pink wedding details, and I have to say she chosen a wonderful groom as well! Gracias Gaby y Jose Enrique, les mandamos un abrazo fuerte y muchas felicidades.

I loved Lauren’s first look perspectives, the next three shots are hers…can’t mention enough how amazing it is to photograph as part of a team.

Fotografia de boda, Merida, Yucatan, Mexico. Elizabeth Medina Photography is Mexico’s premier wedding photography studio, photographing weddings in Merida, Yucatan, Rivera Maya, Cancun, San Miguel de Allende, Puerto Vallarta, Los Cabos and throughout Mexico.

To blog or not to blog…With the clock ticking and many photos yet to edit between now and the holidays  time is of the essence this week! And to make matters more difficult, this is one of those weddings where it is truly next to impossible to narrow down my favorite photographs to fit within a reasonably sized blog post! But I can’t resist the urge to take a break and share some photographs from this beautiful day!  Ashley and Matt are such a seriously lovely couple and so much fun to photograph in action as they enjoyed their celebration! It was great to be back at the Excellence Riviera Cancun for this beautiful beach wedding! Wedding signage and details were designed by Puerto Vallarta star wedding designers Dazzling Details,  simple and modern, just perfect for the beach. (and it looks like we are not the only color freaks feeling the green…Ashley’s emerald green was chosen this week as Pantone’s 2013 color of the year). Ashley and Matt…. an extra special thank you and warm wishes for all the best in your life together!

Sahar and Matt’s wedding was held on the beach at one of my favorite Mayan Riviera beach wedding locations, Le Reve in Playa del Carmen. This beautiful  beach location seemed just perfect for this couple, relaxed but also elegant.  I knew the second I met Sahar that she was high energy all the way! There was seriously never a dull second, the day flew by. Thank you Sahar and Matt, for being so fantastic! All photographs by Elizabeth and Lindsey Medina.

I loved Lindsey’s next shot!

The girls look fabulous!

Following the beach ceremony and cocktails Matt and Sahar had a Persion ceremony. Somehow I ended up photographing while perched in a tree…love the photos though!

The Persian ceremony started off with a bit of dancing, the next photo is Lindsey’s.

I really never thought I would be mentioning snow in the context of wedding photography in Mexico, but thinking about Scott and Sara’s big day reminds me that weddings are a little like beautiful snowflakes in that no two are ever alike! (another similarity that occurs as I edit a mountain of images this week is that as beautiful as they both are, neither a pile of weddings or a pile of snow is very easy to dig your way out of!)

If I had to list one skill that is important in photography I would have to say the ability to be truly observant. That may seem obvious, but it can be so easy for us to get caught up in recreating a preconceived idea, following the latest trends, or worrying about the camera and lighting technology or a million other things and end up overlooking the moments that can tell the story.

Sara and Scott and their group traveled from Canada for an intimate destination wedding. The couple was very creative in making use of several different areas of the Grand Sirenis resort and the hotel’s architectural details and the natural beauty of the Mayan Riviera coastline combined to provide a striking context for the wedding  photographs. Thank you Scott and Sara!

Sara and Scott did not see each other before the ceremony, as they waited to enter I thought Scott had a lot of discipline not to turn around a take a peek at his bride!

The dance reception was held in a very breezy palapa right on the ocean, this is a really nice spot, very private and peaceful.

Elizabeth Medina is a wedding photographer located in Yucatan, Mexico, photographing weddings in the Riviera Maya, Playa del Carmen, Cancun, Yucatan and throughout Mexico.

This wedding will go down in history as a party to remember. Now if only this photographer could get a certain song out of her head!  Pj and Kate were married in a Catholic ceremony at the Maroma Chapel in the Mayan Riviera. The wedding preparations as well as the coctail hour and dinner reception were held at the beatiful Excellence Riviera Cancun and the wedding was coordinated by Luxe Destination Weddings. Kate and PJ are such a fun young couple who really knew how to relax and enjoy their celebration. Muchas Gracias PJ and Kate! We hope the photographs bring back lots of memories!

Elizabeth Medina wedding photographer Riviera Maya Mexico.

Ana Paulina and Gabriel will be familiar to those who have been reading the blog for a while. In August we had the pleasure of photographing Ana Paulina and Gabriel with celebrating with their family and friends their civil wedding at the beach in Uaymitun, Yucatan. Ana Paulina and Gabriel are a fantastic couple and obviously know how to throw a party so we were really looking forward to the ¨main event¨!  The Catholic mass was held at the Nuestra Señora de Libano church in Mérida, Yucatán and the amazing reception was held at a ¨casa de campo¨ in the small town of Cholul on the outskirts of Mérida. Please be sure to scroll down for a glimpse of the jaw dropping reception. It was all a bit too amazing to put into words so I will let a few of the wedding photographs do the talking!

Things ran a little bit late and the novios saw each other for the first time shortly before the sunset. We hurried a bit chasing the last light but it was worth it, I was really happy with the photographs of this beautiful couple.

The next shot is not going to win any awards…but I wanted to post it because I thought that it was such a neat detail…rather than giving her bridesmaids bouquets Ana Paulina gave them thease really neat flower bracelets.

Cholul… the ceremony site was simply breathtaking.

As a surprise for the bride and groom a video was played during their first dance of the two of them dancing together and Ana Paulina´s quinceañera! They were so cute! It was a real crowd pleaser.

Elizabeth Medina is a wedding photographer in Merida, Yucatan, Mexico. She photographs weddings thoughout Mexico.

Monica and Francisco held their destination wedding at one of my very favorite locations. The Hacienda Temozon is a just a spectacular and unique wedding venue. Dating from 1655 this authentic Yucatecan hacienda is full of history and local flavor. For those not familiar with the area, Yucatan has its own cuisine and culture, the Mayan langueage is still spoken here and Yucatan is home to wonders like the pyramids of Chichen Itza….sorry for rambling, but I can’t help but be thankful to live in an area with so much spririt!

I also could not feel more honored or proud to be entrusted to photograph events such as Monica and Francisco’s Mexico wedding or happier to have had Lauren as my assistant photographer throughout the day. Monica y Francisco, les deseo todo lo mejor y espero verlos en Merida para festejar el aniversario!

Elizabeth Medina wedding photojouralism Yucatan Mexico. Elizabeth Medina specializes in destination wedding photography and photographs events in Yucatan, the Mayan Riviera and throughout Mexico.

Unforgettable! Lauren and I had a wonderful time photographing Erica and Doug’s weekend at the beautiful Barcelo Mayan Palace in the Mayan Riviera. These two make an awesome couple and had a really fun group of family and friends make the trip to Mexico to celebrate their marriage.  Erica is a graphic designer (I have had quite a few graphic designers as brides and grooms and always expect that it will make for an eye catching event!) and had applied her artistic vision all through the wedding planning. It was fun to see all the details that she had prepared, here is a little peek a the many photographs from the welcome dinner white party that was held on the beach the night before the wedding and the wedding mass the next day at the Barcelo’s Catholic chapel. Thank you Erica and Doug, it was an amazing weekend! We loved spending it with all of you! Mucho amor para siempre!

The welcome dinner was held the evening prior to the wedding. We were able to do some more casual photos of the bride and groom before heading to the party on the beach.

All the guests dressed in white for this event, the photo below is of both immediate families together, its not every day a photo op like that comes along.

Jsut a few detsils from the beach party…

The wedding day… details from the getting ready portion of the day.

Erica looked awesome, we LOVED her dress especially because it was jsut perfect for her.

It was fun to see how happy Doug was on the wedding day!

A few ophotographs from the ceremony and some group portraits on the beach, it was another very hot day, the bridesmaids and groomsmen were such troopers!

The reception was held in a beautiful French restaurant at the Barcelo Maya Palace. It was perfect for Erica and Dougs elegant destination style. This crowd know how to party, they were dancing from the very start of the reception!

Elizabeth Medina, Mexico’s premier  wedding photgrapher. Elizabeth Medina photographs destination wedding photography throughout Mexico in locations including the Mayan Riviera, Cancun, Playa del Carmen, Tulum, Puerto Vallarta, Los Cabos, Costa Careyes, Yucatan and San Miguel de Allende.

Wedding day energy…there is nothing like it! One thing I love about wedding photojournalism is that there are so many emotions being experienced though out the day, documenting the joyful, beautiful real emotions (and also of course the craziness of it all) is an absolute adventure and the only thing that you can know for sure is that no two weddings are ever alike! Michael and Kelly are a fantastic couple with absolutely amazing energy for being in the moment and enjoying each other and the group of family and friends that joined them in Mexico. The day seemed to fly by so fast! I think one of the most wonderful thing about photography is its ability to stop time, I was so amazed while editing the photos by how many once in a lifetime moments were to be found in the images that Lauren and I were fortunate to be able to capture on this incredible day.

Lauren spotted this ´still life´ I love how the little details can help tell the story.

Bride and groom before the ceremony…

The weather had been pretty much touch and go, but at the perfect moment the sky cleared and the sun lit up the bride and groom, wow!

Another great detail shot from Lauren´s camera!

Fiesta!

Wedding photojpurnalist Elizabeth Medina, wedding photography at Azul Sensatori a Karisma resort. Elizabeth Medina specializes in destination wedding photography throughout the Mayan Riviera, the Yucatan Penninsula and Mexico.

I loved photographing Alex and Drew´s Playa del Carmen Wedding! The wedding was held at the Royal in PDC. We have photographed several weddings at that location and honestly I ahve to say that no two have been alike and that I have loved them all! One thing I love about this resort, which is located right in the heart of Playa del Carmen, Mexico is that everyone present seems to be having such a good time. I think that Alex and Drew´s wedding more than proves the point! And as if a gorgeous beach location, happy guests and a beautiful (and ultra laid back) bride and handsome groom were not enough how about a zippy blue, green and yellow color scheme to melt a photographer´s heart? Simplemente perfecto!

The beautiful bride before the ceremony…

Bride and groom details…I LOVED the use of yellow and blue!

Alex and Drew had a dry erase board for guests to write messages, this was SUCH a hit, the messages were SO  funny and a great way to get wedding guests to actually use the disposible cameras!

Playa del Cament photographer Elizabeth Medina, destination wedding photography in Playa del Carmen Mexico.

I hope no one minds if I take a few minutes break from shooting, editing and blogging up a storm to share a little studio project. This little book is volume one, (volume two will naturally feature Mexico’s fantastic beach wedding destinations) was done as a personal project to showcase some of our wedding photography  in Mexico’s incomparable haciendas and historic homes. I truly feel that there is nothing better than a destination wedding in Mexico and that Mexico’s haciendas are magical wedding destinations. Having photographed a good number of weddings at haciendas in Yucatan and throughout Mexico and just love for people to find out about the amazing locations for wedding photography in Mexico through my work!

Those that have been reading this blog for a while already know that I consider travel + leisure magazine as one of my photographic influences so I hoped this project would reflect a bit of that  T+L vibe. Being busy with work for my clients I turned to Karen Dahlquist for the design and layout of this book. That proved to be a great decision because it was way too hard for me to choose just a few images from each wedding/location! I would have given up had I not been able to send folders of images for Karen to wade through! Maybe because I was at all the weddings and have great memories of each one, but I just loved how it all came together. Not sure if amazon.com will be calling soon but I do hope it will give a bit of exposure to Mexico’s haciendas as wedding locations.

Here are a few glimpses at the book’s contents. This spread is dedicated to the Hacienda Xcanatun this is a wonderful wedding location. (Zach and Lolita I can’t wait!)

Another absolute favorite, Hacienda Las Trancas is located in Central Mexico and is a magical destination. I am looking forward to shooting Amy and Matt’s wedding next summer at this location!

The hacienda wedding photography volume includes several weddings from Yucatan’s magnificent group of haciendas operated by Starwood Resorts. This group of haciendas include amazing locations like Temozon, (So excited about upcoming 2009 weddings at that location), San Jose (love, love this one!), Santa Rosa, (very cool hacienda venue, I photographed the very first wedding at Santa Rosa!) and of course Hacienda Uyamon in Campeche, Mexico.

emedina_book_tsip

The Hacienda Chichen Itza, it has been several years since I photographed at this location but I would just love to photograph another wedding at the hacienda.

Well, enough of all that… but please stop back soon for Alex and Drew’s wedding at the Royal in Playa del Carmen, to be followed by Katherine and Jim and Kelly and Michael both at the Azul Sesatori! I can’t wait to post each of these colorful one of a kind weddings to the blog, to be followed by Benny and Sandra’s Maya Rivera wedding and finally Jessica and Scott’s incredible San Miguel de Allende wedding.

Mexico wedding photography by Elizabeth Medina, a wedding photographer based in Yucatan, Mexico and available for photographic coverage throughout Mexico and internationally.

Paraiso de la Bonita is a very charming boutique hotel near Puerto Morelos in Mexico’s Mayan Riviera. It is a favorite travel destination for Crystal and Kevin and of course absolutely perfect for this fantastic couple’s destination wedding. I loved the colors and the resort’s unique vibe, which seemed to be Mexican with a kind of chic twist. Gracias Crystal and Kevin for sharing your day!  Muchas felicidades!

I really love to look for little details that communicate a sense of the feeling of a place.

The first look….so glad Kevin and Crystal planned this and a pre wedding photo session, it really made the day go smoothly.

The ceremony site at the beach of the Paraiso de la Bonita, very secluded and beautiful.

The beautiful guest below is one of the few peopel I have ever seen take more photographs than I do! I am sure she got some great shots thoughout the day!

A few reception details…

Great news! I have finally made way out of the tunnel known as March wedding editing and lived to tell the tale! Kristina and Ingrid, I am pretty sure you are visiting the blog on a regular basis…. and the good news is yours are the next two weddings and they will be posted soon!

Stephanie and Andy had more than a great wedding day, they had an entire week to share with their group (and a neighboring alligator, yikes!) in a roomy villa overlooking the turquoise water of the Mayan Riviera’s Playa Secreto. The wedding was just beautiful! Stephanie and Andy are high school sweethearts, how fantastic that they were able to become husband and wife in such a beautiful setting.

Stephanie’s sister was unfortunately not able to be present in person because of a last minute complication, but was absolutely present in spirit throughout the entire day! She even appeared on video giving her matron of honor toast a the reception (wearing her dress of course!),

Wow! The bride has a spectacular wedding look!

I never cease to be amazed by some of the fantastic DIY projects that brides pull off, Stephanie’s prgram fans were beautiful and very unique!

Hooray! Let those rose petals fly!

Th wedding party!

Photographs of the bride and groom after the ceremony…

And a few images from the villa wedding reception.

Elizabeth Medina Is a wedding photojournalist based in Merida, Yucatan, Mexico. She photographs weddings throughout Mexico.